On Suffering

Buddha stated

Life is suffering.

 

Suffering is indeed the pervasive experience

Of human lives.

 

Some spiritualists state,

Face suffering.

 

Other spiritualists state,

Suffering is an opportunity.

 

The trouble with stating things in such ways,

Is that there is a Hard Message

From the speaker.

 

The trouble with spirituality

And all forms of self-help,

Is that it has no practical relevance.

 

Spirituality is akin to school.

6x = 18.

18 divided by 6 = 3.

Thus,

X = 3.

 

The honest and practical response to this is . . .

So what?

 

What is a human supposed to do with this?

 

This statement

Summarizes

And, thus, Invalidates

The entire domain of spirituality

And self-help.

 

Buddha said,

Life is suffering.

 

Very well.

So what?

 

Another spiritualist says,

Suffering is an opportunity.

 

Very well.

So what?

 

This is why, though there are dozens of spiritual books are on every shelf,

Neither the shelf

Or its owner

Become enlightened.

 

It is all pointless.

Words that do nothing.

Messages that go nowhere.

 

And just like school,

The “game” becomes . . .

How many spiritual phrases can you memorize.

How many spiritual phrases can you put on a bumper sticker.

How many spiritual phrases can you put as a response to my messages on Twitter (which get Blocked.)

 

It is all mimicry.

It is all inconsequential.

It is all impractical.

 

The spiritualist will tell you,

Go meditate.

 

Very well.

You meditate.

Did it end your suffering?

 

Not at all.

But you get a social gold star

For having meditated.

 

It is all childish nonsense.

Frankly,

It is an insult to human beings.

 

The human suffers deeply.

His pain is real.

His agony is real.

 

Clever phrases

Bumper stickers

Affirmations

And austerities

Are but toy soldiers

And water guns

Used to fight a real War.

 

Suffering is serious.

Pain is serious.

 

Spiritualists

And their messages . . .

Are not.

 

Humans like quick and easy solutions.

This is why they achieve nothing

And go nowhere.

 

Suffering arises

From a lack of Understanding.

 

Where there is a lack of Understanding

There are problems.

 

Where there are problems

There is suffering.

 

Truth, therefore,

Lies in the direction of Understanding.

 

It is interesting

That man suffers from the small

And the large.

 

It is interesting

That in almost all situations

He finds a way to turn it into suffering.

 

This is not an admonition.

And it is not to be taken lightly.

 

It is not that one should

“Stop doing this.”

 

Behind it is an inner machine

At work.

 

Behind it is a complex engineering

At play.

 

Since suffering is pervasive,

The machinery from which it arises

Must also be.

 

Suffering can absolutely come to an end.

For a Serious human being.

 

Namaste.